In news
NTCA has asked Odisha chief wildlife warden to submit a status report on the adverse impact of tourism on Satkosia Tiger Reserve
About the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA)
The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act.
Objectives
The objectives of NTCA are:
- Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
- Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
- Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
- Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.
Establishment: NTCA has been constituted under section 38 L (1) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Composition of NTCA
- As per the section 38 L, sub section 2 of the said Act, the authority consists of the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests ( as Chairperson)
- The Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (as Vice-Chairperson),
- Three members of Parliament, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and other members.
Source of authority
The authority derives its power from section 38 O (1) of WLPA, 1972 and functions under the guidance of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and members.
Mandate
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has been fulfilling its mandate within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for strengthening tiger conservation in the country by retaining an oversight through advisories/normative guidelines, based on appraisal of tiger status, ongoing conservation initiatives and recommendations of specially constituted Committees.
Powers and Functions of NTCA
Powers and functions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority as prescribed under section 38O (1) and (2) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006 are as under:
- To approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the State Government under section 38 O (1) (a) of this Act
- Evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves
- Lay down normative standards for tourism activities and guidelines for project tiger from time to time for tiger conservation in the buffer and core area of tiger reserves and ensure their due compliance
- Provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of men and wild animal and to emphasize on co-existence in forest areas outside the National Parks, sanctuaries or tiger reserve, in the working plan code
- Provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, estimation of population of tiger and its natural prey species, status of habitats, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings and such other management aspects as it may deem fit including future plan conservation
- Approve, co-ordinate research and monitoring on tiger, co-predators, prey habitat, related ecological and socio-economic parameters and their evaluation
- Ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve with another protected area or tiger reserve are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses, except in public interest and with the approval of the National Board for Wild Life and on the advice of the Tiger Conservation Authority
- Facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the State for biodiversity conservation initiatives through eco-development and people\’s participation as per approved management plans and to support similar initiatives in adjoining areas consistent with the Central and State laws
- Ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better implementation of the tiger conservation plan
- Facilitate ongoing capacity building programme for skill development of officers and staff of tiger reserves, and
- The Tiger Conservation Authority may, in the exercise of its powers and performance of its functions, issue directions in writing to any person, officer or authority for the protection of tiger or tiger reserves and such person, officer or authority shall be bound to comply with the directions.
Important milestones of NTCA
Following are the successful tiger conservation initiatives of NTCA
- Project Tiger
- Monitoring Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and Their Habitat through national tiger assessment
- The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in close collaboration with global experts and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) developed a framework for independent evaluation procedure to evaluate Tiger Reserves of the country.
- MSTrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status): The MSTrIPES program uses Global Positioning System (GPS), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and remote sensing, to collect information from the field
- International Co-operation with TRCs
- ‘Special Tiger Protection Force’ (STPF).
- Voluntary Village Relocation Program
